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LEGO Machine That Sorts LEGO Pieces Is A Marvel Of Engineering

Such is the power of LEGO that you don’t even need to make anything actually practical to still impress most of the internet. And so it goes with this device, the LEGO Axle Sorter, which is an engineering uber-feat that can sort LEGO axle pieces automatically. Yes, gone are the days when the Japanese designer of the machine, Akiyuki, has to go through the laborious and just plain unfair task of having to sort LEGO axle pieces by hand.

He’s built this crazy machine which uses only one motor and it’s so complex it will make your brain hurt just watching the video. But it’s still mesmerizing to see the mechanics in action as the pieces ride along on the conveyor belt, getting sorted before ending up in neat piles corresponding to their various shapes and sizes.

Akiyuki is also the LEGO don behind the Great Ball Contraption—his 600-hour masterwork. Just what will he build next? A LEGO Mars Exploration Rover? The LEGO Hadron Collider? We can but wait.